Harry Potter paved the way for many fantasy novels, including one written by Time Magazine book critic Lev Grossman. "The Magicians" (Viking Adult/2009), took an adult look at the mythical world of magic and tackled issues of sex, drugs and existential angst. The sequel, "The Magician King" (Viking Adult/2011), is out now and continues its offbeat examination of the magical life.
The Magician King
![Book cover, ''The Magician King''](https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/c0fc3d6/2147483647/strip/true/crop/300x446+0+0/resize/880x1308!/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Flegacy%2Fsites%2Fwunc%2Ffiles%2F201301%2Fimage_260.jpg)